Sand roll and cloth roll mechanism



Sept. 16, 1952 F. B. PETERSON SAND ROLL AND CLOTH ROLL MECHANISM 2SPEETS-SI'lEET 2 Filed May '7, 1949' ...IIL

' mlm/ron FRITZ B. PETERSON ATTORNE Y satented Sept. l6, 195,2

SAND RQLLAN) CLOTH ROLL MECHANISM. n

Fritz B. Peterson, Hopedale. Mass., assignor to Draper Corporation,Hopedale, Mass., a corporation off- Maine Application May v, 1949,serial No. 91,903

f 16 Claims. 1 This invention pertains to certain improvements in loomsfor weaving, vand more specifically, to improvements in sand roll andcloth roll mechanisms of the type whereinthe `woven fabric is wound uponal cloth roll by contact with a positively driven sand roll.v v l f Itis a general object ofi the invention to simplify and to eliminateconsiderable of the present structure to be found at the front of loomsand which entersinto the sand roll and cloth roll combination,l such forexample, as the conventional spring shaft vand cloth roll stand at thebase of the loom and adjacent the front thereof, and to provide improvedkmeans for more effectively accomplishing the same result.

It is a further object of the invention to provide for winding muchlarger rolls of fabric by eliminating the above mentioned structure atthe front and adjacent the lower part of the loom framework and to leavemore of that section of the loom frame unobstructed to facilitateservicing and removal ofthe completed rolls of woven material. A furtherobjectof thefvinvention is that of simplifying the cloth roll supportingstand and confining the parts thereof to a small space at the sides ofthe loom framework so 'that cost `of manufacture and maintenance thereofmay be considerably reduced.

Another object of the invention is that of devising a combined sand rolland vcloth roll device in which the supporting shaft for the sand rollperforms other functions. In addition to serving as a member upon whichthe sand roll may be positively rotated, Yit also replaces the usualspring shaft to be found at thelower part of the loom frame structureand controls the suspensionsystem for the cloth roll and material woundthereon.

A further object of the invention is Vthat of devising a positivelydriven hollow sand roll in which is enclosed most of the mechanismincidental to maintaining the cloth roll and fabric carried thereon inan elevated position and in pressure contact with the sand roll toassure 2 l l mechanism more accessibly and to facilitate the servicingthereof.

-A further object isy that of improvingthe means and simplifying themethod by which the sand rollvcovering is applied to the sand roll.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the followingdetailed disclosure.`

In conventional sand roll and cloth roll mechanisms it is the usualpractice to provide a sand roll adjacentthe upper and front portion ofthe loomk framework which is of substantially solid construction andVwhich is mounted on a shaft carried in suitable bearings andl driven inanyy satisfactory Way from other rotating parts of the loom. The clothyroll which generally comprises a cloth roll shaft or core upon which thewoven material isewound, is supported in what is termed a cloth rollstand comprising. among other parts, yupright f stands .adjacent eitherend of the loom. The cloth'` roll shaft is maintained in anr uppermostposition as determined by the sizeof the roll ofv fabric on the clothroll shaft at any particular time, by a spring shaft and cooperatingparts adjacentthe lower portion of the loom. One example ofsuchmechanism is to be foundy in United .States LThe spring shaftandfdevices Patent 2,437,367. for tensioning the rather heavy springcarried thereby are all located on a girt. at the lower front portion ofthe loom and their position makes it rather difficult to effectadjustments as is essential when the cloth roll stand is to be elevatedpreparatory .to starting a new roll of material, or whenevertension isto be relaxed in the' spring, that frequently being necessary atintervals throughout the period of winding a complete roll and also,when doffmg a roll.

The stand structure is relatively expensive since it requires racks,gears and relatively heavy vertical guide members ,within which the`racks are carried,'all of these addingto the cost of the installationand also adding to the Weight of the complete machine and restrictingthe space available for winding and servicing a roll of material aslarge as is sometimes desired.

According to the invention the above mentioned mechanism is greatlyimprovedV and the more undesirable characteristics of the conventionalstructure eliminated. The `improvements vhereinafter to be described indetail involve4 a combination in which the support for the sand rollserves not only asa-member upon which that particular roll may bepositively rotated at the desired `rate of speed, but also as a means ofsupport for certain elements rotatable with lthe supporting shaft itselfand employed for winding thereon or otherwise taking up or extendingflexible elements such as cables from which the cloth roll bearingmembers are suspended. These bearing members or bearing blocks are ofrelatively simple construction, cheaply produced, and are adapted toslide to and from the sand roll upon very simple track means attached tothe loomsides themselves, or on supplementary structural elementsadjacent thereto. This sand roll supporting shaft also carries,preferably enclosed within the sand roll itself which is of hollowconstruction, an improved spring shaft mechanism by means of which thecloth roll is continuously biased or urged in a direction to establishthe requisite pressure contact between the fabric wound on the clothroll and the adjacent surface of the sand roll itself.

The spring shaft mechanism, so-called, may comprise a relatively simple,elongated coil spring and means for fixing one end to the shaft andother means within which the opposite end is restrained, this othermeans being capable of movement in such a manner as to Vary the tensionin the spring itself and to lock the restrained end of that spring inthat adjusted position in which it is desirable that it be maintained. Apreferred form of mechanism, however, comprises a clutch, one member ofwhich is restrained from rotation relatively to the shaft, and the othermember of which is rotatable on the said shaft. One of these clutchmembers is restrained from movement lengthwise of the shaft while theother is resiliently pressed into engagement with its companion clutchpart so that frictional surfaces thereof impart a driving force or aretarding force, as the case may be, to the shaft and parts carriedthereby which function therewith for biasing of the cloth roll as abovementioned. The freely rotatable clutch member has connected thereto insome suitable way one end of a spring, the other end of that springbeing restrained in mechanism similar to and performing the same generalfunction as that just above described with respect to the simpler formof spring shaft means.

The invention will be described hereinafter by reference to theaccompanying figures of drawing wherein one preferred form of theinvention and a modification are illustrated and in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation showning in a more general way the manner inwhich the invention is applied to a conventional loom.

Fig. 2 is a lonigtudinal section through the sand roll and attendantparts according to the preferred form which the invention takes.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, but showing a modified andsimpler form of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a fragmentary part of the loom showingdetails incidental to tensioning the cloth roll biasing means, and alsothe manner in which the sand roll supporting shaft may be carried in theloom framework.

Fig. 5 is an elevation taken from the end of the machine and furtherillustrating those parts shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing in detail one of the cable sheavesemployed at the ends of the sand roll supporting shaft and to which thecable is fixed and about which it may be wound and unwound incidental toraising and lowering the cloth roll bearings.

Fig. 7 is a section taken at the line 1 1, Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing one of the bearing blocks for thecloth roll shaft and a part of the track upon which it is guided andalong which it is movable.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but showing a modified form of cablesheave.

Now referring to the figures, and especially to Fig. l, the inventionwill be described as applied to a conventional iiy shuttle loom, but itis to be understood that it is applicable to all looms and that thedescription herein given is illustrative only. In Fig. 1 the loomsidesI0 and II are interconnected by a plurality of girts, one lower girt I2being shown, but it being understood that there are others. At the topfront part of the loom there is provided a breast beam I3 resting ateither end upon the loomsides, and, as will hereinafter be described indetail, this breast beam is so devised as to provide a support forbearings generally indicated by numerals I4 and I5 and attached to theend portions of this beam, said bearings serving to support for rotationa pivot shaft I6. This pivot shaft I6, hereinafter termed a shaft andbetter shown in Fig. 2, serves to support the sand roll generallyindicated by numeral Il which is positively rotated in any desiredmanner and which normally has a frictional surface of such nature as toadvance the woven material passed thereabout and to draw it from theweaving point. This sand roll or fabric take-up roll is herein comprisedas a hollow structure being formed from relatively thin cylindricaltubing I8 which is secured in any convenient manner to hubs I9 and 20adjacent the ends thereof. If desired, guide rolls adjacent the sandroll and positioned so as to have the fabric passed about them and toincrease the extent of contact between the fabric and sand roll may beused. These are well known to those skilled in this art.

These hubs are freely rotatable upon the shaft I6 or upon other bearingelements on that shaft, and one of the hubs, I9 according to the presentconstruction, is extended outwardly and has a gear 2| affixed thereto bymeans of screws 22, or by other connecting means, many of which willreadily occur to those skilled in the art. This gear 2| in turn mesheswith a pinion 23 keyed or otherwise secured to the end of a shortspindle or shaft 24 guided within a bearing in the loom frame structureand driven through any interconnecting means such as a gear trainderiving movement from some one of the rotating parts of the loom, forexample, the cam shaft or the crank shaft. It is to be understood thatthe gear train or other driving means is capable of variation to alterwithin limits the relative rate of speed at which the sand roll I1 drawsthe fabric from the weaving point and therefore provides for theproduction of different types of woven material as is understood bythose conversant with this particular art.

The cylindrical tube I8 may be attached to the hubs I9 and 20 in anysatisfactory manner, for example, by press fitting or by some positivemeans such as screws. A novel method for inserting and fixing the woodenor other plugs to which the fillet or sand roll covering is attachedcomprises first drilling and tapping holes into the tube and hubs afterassembly. These holes are tapped on a taper as by a conventional pipetap. The plugs are then screwed into these tapped holes very tightly andare cut and finished down to conform to the outer cylindrical surface ofthe roll. These plugs then serve as a means to which the ends of llet For other rough surfaced material may be connected by animent tacks orthe like. Any suitable number of plugs is vto be used and they are to beappropriately placed in the end orhub portions ofthe sand roll. The lletis usually `wound helically and in abutting relationshipfrom one end tothe other of the, roll. `The intermediate convolutions'mafy, if desired,`be secured tothe tubing by cementing or in any other satisfactory way..In sand rolls which are not hollow asis that herein-described', a numberof spaced plugs are utilized, yone for each convolution, vmore or less,of the fillet. f'k- The cloth roll shaft 26 whchactual-lyfcomprisesY asteel or other shaft or Acore off sufficient diameter to support a rollof woven material`21 as the same is wound up upon'being drawn from theweaving point, is supported ateach end in bearings in blocks 23 and29.7r These blocks-,Thereinafter'referred to asv bearing blocks', arevertically Vslidable along trackmembersSI) and 3ll which are attached inany suitable'manner 'as by screws as indicated in Figi 8 to verticalposts or stands 32 and 33." Each or" these posts 32 and 33 is supportedat its lower end on the girt I2 and at its upper end, is attached bysuitable bolts or other means to the front depending portion 24, Figs. 4and 5, of the breast beam I3.

One of these bearing blocks is illustrated in greater detail in theperspective View offliig. 8 and each block has a'T-shaped groove thereinwhich is freely slidable along the track which is preferably comprisedof two parts, the'head 3U' ofV that track or rail being boltedor'screwed in place to facilitate fabrication. i Each bearing block hasan indentation or open bearing 35 therein within which rests.

Each of these bearing blocks-fis suspended from thel shaft I6 upon whichthe sand rolly also ro'- tates, according to the preferred form of theinvention, and preferably the suspendingmeans comprises some flexibleconnector suchas a steel cable. Steel cables 35 and `31 lockedv in theirrespective blocks extend upwardly and are correspondingly attached insome convenient manner to winding drums or sheaves which are themselvesfixedly secured to the shaft. Thesesheaves may be provided with spirallyor helically cut grooves and 'as shown more clearly in Figs. 2,' 6 and7, the cable 35 is woundabout asheave 433l fixed to the shaft IS -by-akey 39v andy having `a groove 40 within which fthe jcable islaterallyguided or restrained.y The helical groove 40 has anumber ofconvolutions, depending upon the diameter of the sheave, to permit asufficient length of cable to be wound up or extended therefrom so as toaccommodate `the" maximum amount of movement necessary for raising andlowering the cloth roll shaft 26, that being largely dependent upon themaximum size of roll, which it is contemplated will be wound on anyparticular loom. While a groove is preferably provided in each sheave,that may in instances be dispensed with and the cable wound upon aflanged drum or the like.

At the opposite end of the shaft I6 a correspending sheave 4I has cable31 connected thereto, and it is to be understood that these sheaves arepreferably of opposite hand so `that the cable winds from the inner endofeach toward the outer end or vice versa, as the cloth roll shaft iselevated. That permits a symmetrical arrangement of parts and uniformityof lmotion with respect to a central, vertical axis. The axis of the endofthe shaft A the cloth roll shaft is also according to theillusn Ytrated form of the device. ydisposed substantially 6 beneath s thepointat which thecables depart tangentially 4from their sheaves.However, the tracks upon which the bearing blocks move may be inclined,Aespecially from front to rear of the `loom as thesaid blocks move awayfrom the sand roll thereby to provide for a larger roll ofclothflwithout .it extending too far toward .the front ofthe loom. Thecables are passed through holes 'formed in vthe'bearingblocks asillustrated in Fig. 8" and, 'after being adjusted for length,ar'ehel'dor locked in place by means of a locking screw 42. A similarconnecting means is em'- ployed at the sheaves as shown in Figs.` 6 and7, the cable being turned inwardlyinto a'recess formed inthesheave andheld by a 'corresponding 'locking screw 43. lAny other convenient meansof 'fixing the cables in these elements may be utilized.

-1Now.'r'eferring to Figs.` l1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, mechanism will A'bedescribedthe function of which is to elevatethe cloth roll shaft or tolower it after acomplete rollof fabric has been wound preparatory toremoving that roll, and which also serves tobias the cloth roll'upwardly toward the sand roll so that a sufficient pressureis developedbetween the surface of the sand roll and the fabric wound on the clothroll shaft to assure winding of a vtight and compact roll. Preferablythe said c loth roll biasing mechanism is largely enclosed within thesand roll I1 and functions to impart tothe shaft l5 a resilientlyapplied torque yor twisting moment which always tends to wind the cablesupon their sheaves.

v First referring tol Fig. 3, the modification, the parts whichareidenticalwith those similar parts shownin Fig.`2 have been given thesame refer- ,encefinumeralsl The distinction between the modificationandthe preferred vform is largely coni-ined to the spring whichfunctions to impart thewtorque to the shaft I6 andthe means by whichthatspring applies its force to the shaft. Since thisis the simpler form itis described first..v The hubs I9 and 20 of the sand roll are freely'rotatablev upon the shaft I6 in the case of the hub I9, and in thecaseof the hub 20,upon abearing on"l bushing llt rotatable on shaft IB andto which is connected by means of suitable screwsf45 or= othermea'ns',fa worm wheel 46. The worm wheel 46 has meshing therewith a worm41 keyed'to the inner end ofr a short shaft or spindle 48`to Vthesquaredend of which may be applied a lcrank49, Figs. 4 and 5, thispreferably'being detachable as shown, although in some instances it maybe permanently fixed to the spindle. The shaft 48 is carried in bearings`5I) and 5I Which comprise bosses extending'r inwardly from a mountingplate 52 which is bolted to the bottom face of the upper part of thebreast beam I3, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. This worm is preferablya single threaded worm and, at least should form a means for rotatingthe worm wheel and the bushing 44 irreversibly. Other irreversibledriveA means may be substituted. l

` Arspring 53 surrounds shaft I 6 and has one end 54 restrained within adrilled hole in the bushing '44 and its other end 55 similarlyrestrained in a collar 56 which is locked by means of a set screw 51 tothe shaft I6., .In actual `operation of the device, the crank 49 isemployed for raisingjthe' cloth roll shaft 26 preparatory to startingwinding a fabric roll thereon, yand in addition to raising that rollinto contact with the sand roll, a predetermined amount of tension isplaced in the spring 53 so that the pressure between the sand roll andthe fabric on the cloth roll closely approximates that necessary forproper winding of a tight and relatively solid xoll of material.

As the size of the fabric roll increases. the cloth roll shaft isnaturally forced downwardly or away from the sand roll and that in turnmoves the bearing blocks 28 and 29 downwardly a corresponding distanceto draw the cables from their sheaves and since the latter are keyed toshaft i6, to rotate that shaft throughout a corresponding angularextent. The rotation of shaft I6 causes a further tightening of thespring 53. but that is to an extent compensated by the additional weightof the fabric on the cloth roll. It is intended that the spring 53 shallbe of suflicient strength and shall have a sufiicient length so thatafter an initial setting of the device, a complete roll may be woundwithout further attention to the adjusment of the parts. Obviously, whena maximum amount of material has been wound on the cloth roll, the crank49 is then employed to relax tension in spring 53 and to lower the clothroll into some suitable conveyance by which it may be removed. Theremainingr tension in the spring is then removed so that thecloth rollshaft is freed from its bearings 35 whereupon the full roll may beremoved and a new shaft inserted. The operating crank is so positionedthat the operator may turn it while in normal standing position and thusall adjustments effected thereby are accomplished with a minimum ofeffort.

Now referring to Fig. 2, the preferred form of the invention includesnot only a resilient means by which the cloth roll is normallymaintained in contact with the sand roll under a predetermined amount ofpressure, but, in addition, a clutch introduced into the combination andwhich serves in combination with the other parts to permit the `graduallowering of the cloth roll as the package is increased in size, eitherwithout any change in the amount of tension placed upon the spring, orwhere tension in the resilient means is increased, to prevent excessivetension therein by adjusting the clutch to slip under a predeterminedload at some later point in the winding of a roll of material. Under thefirstmentioned setting, the clutch is so adjusted that it does not slipunder the greatest weight of cloth roll which may be wound, but will notimpose more pressure between the fabric and sand roll at the terminationof winding than is necessary to assure proper traction. There is thus nopossibility of overtensioning the spring and therefore it is notnecessary to guard against that contingency as the cloth roll isinitially set preparatory to starting winding thereon, or later as theroll builds to size. The spring may be tensioned only to whateverpredetermined degree is possible in accordance with the clutch settingso that the crank employed in raising the cloth roll shaft may be turneduntil contact is made between the roll shaft and sand roll and thenrotation of the crank continued for a few turns sufficient to imposethat amount of tension required in the spring after which the slippingof the clutch may be felt. Even if that is not possible or if noattention is paid to the point at which the clutch starts to slip, noexcess tension is possible of being placed upon the spring and thereforethis form of the invention serves to guard against undue pressurebetween the fabric on the cloth rail shaft and the sand roll surface atthe very start or at any point in the building of the cloth roll. Inprior practice, if too much pressure were imposed at the`startvofwinding, theincrease in size of the package 4then tensionedthe spring a.further amount and excess tension existed all through the winding of thepackage until a point of extreme tension was reached, even though thespring were of considerable length, sometimes causing rupture of thefabric and/or spring breakage. In fact, that is just the reverse of whatis desired since it is more important to have slightly more pressurebetween the fabric and the sand roll at the start of winding than aftera sizable package has been completed since as the diameter of the woundmaterial increases, the effective area of vcontact between the twocylindrical surfaces is increased.

According to the second mentioned mode of operation of the preferredform, the spring should be somewhat longer and the clutch set to sliponly after considerable winding has taken place. Then the first part ofthe roll is formed as the spring gradually increases in tension, whilethe later part, after the clutch starts to slip, is wound, as pressureat the contacting surfaces decreases due to increasing weight of thecloth roll.

The clutch which functions to permit slipping as the spring tensiontends to exceed some prescribed value includes a member 58 rotatable onshaft I6, but prevented from moving axially thereof by a collar 59 andthrust bearing 60 interposed between the collar which is set screwed tothe shaft, and a shoulder formed within the clutch member itself. Theother part 6I of the clutch is keyed for rotation with the shaft It, butis permitted limited sliding movement lengthwise of that shaft. A key 62is fixed within the shaft, but relatively slidable in the cooperatingkeyway in the clutch member. As herein illustrated. it is preferred thatthe clutch interengaging surfaces be of conical form, although it is tobe understood that other types of clutches may be `employed and in thatevent the mechanism is to be modified accordingly. A facing 63 ispreferably cemented or otherwise attached to the clutch member 6|.although, if desired, the facing may be fixed to the outer clutch part,or may float between the two members.

The clutch part 6| is pressed into engagement with the cooperatingmember 58 by means of a spring 64 maintained under a suitable amount ofcompression by a collar 65 adjustably set in a desired position alongshaft I6. It is not necessary to provide any great amount of compressiveforce within this spring since the conical type clutch makes availableconsiderable driving force without the application of more than areasonable amount of axial pressure forcing the two parts intoengagement. Wear in the clutch is compensated by the spring 64.

A spring 66 surrounds shaft I6 and has one end 61 restrained in thebushing M and the other end B8 similarly restrained within the otherwisefreely rotatable clutch part 58. This spring is considerably shorterthan the spring 53, Fig. 3, and does not need to be of greater lengththan is necessary for permitting a small amount of deflectionresiliently to press the fabric roll against the sand roll after contacthas been made.

In most instances the increase in weight of the fabric roll as itapproaches maximum diameter makes little difference, or at least, doesnot make a sufficient difference, so that there is any difficultyexperienced due to the fact there is no compensating increase in theamount of torque which may be conveyed through the clutch. The fact thatless pressure between the surface of the fabric roll and the sand rollis necessary as the roll 9 increases in size more or less compensatesfor the fact that the additional weight would tend to relax some of thepressure at the surfaces incontact.

sheave shown in detail in Fig. 9, it is contemplated that compensationbe provided for the above mentioned contingency if that additionalrefinement is required. In the modified sheaVe, each cable is woundabout the periphery and rests in a groove which gradually decreases ineffective radius from one end of the sheave to theother. The cablegroove is, therefore, cut or otherwise formed along a helix ofdecreasing radius from one end to the other.

The sheave 69 keyed to shaft I6 by means of a key 39 has a continuousgroove 10 formed therein within which the cable 3'6' is adapted to beretained. Here the radius of the groove is a maximum at the end of thesheave at which the cable passes tangentially from the groove when thecloth roll is in uppermost position. Then as the roll increases indiameter and the Weight increases correspondingly, the effective radiusof the sheave decreases to become a minimum when the roll is completed.That assures that the moment arm at which the cable functions iscorrespondingly less as the Weight depended from the cable increases sothat there is a tendency to balance these functions in such manner thata reasonably uniform pressure or a substantially vuniform winding forceis exerted on the fabric where it contacts the sand roll at all times.The actual radius at the largest and at the smallest ends of the sheaveswill vary depending upon the total increase in weight plus pressure fromrelatively empty to a full fabric roll and upon other factors. It is tobe understood that the setting of the clutch is such that without anycompensation a relatively wide range is provided within which a Wellwound cloth roll is produced.

In most cases the effective radius may vary uniformly from a maximum toa minimum, but in'instances where it is desired to take intoconsideration all variables involved and to provide for a fairly uniformvalue of torque appliedgat the shaft I6', the most advantageous curve(probably a functional one) may be calculated or otherwise determined.The sheaves are then to be designed accordingly with the radii of theircable grooves or other surfaces upon which the cables are woundconforming to values established as above indicated.

Assuming all parts are properly adjusted, the operator merely has toinsert an empty cloth roll shaft in the bearing blocks and by means ofthe crank 49 elevates that shaft until it contacts the sand roll, havingfirst started the fabric around the shaft so that it may thereafter :bewound as the Weaving progresses. In one instance the hand crank isemployed with that form of the invention shown in Fig. 2 to tension thespring 66 until the clutch actually7 slips as above described. Withthe'modication of Fig. 8 the longer spring 53 is tensioned in accordancewith judgment exercised by the operator, Then as weaving progresses, thefabric is wound upon the shaft 26 and as the fabric roll 2l increases insize, the cables 36 and 31 are ydrawn downwardly thereby rotating theshaft I through the sheaves 38 and 4|. It is to be understood that therotation of the sand roll accomplished through pinion 23 and gear 2lisunaffected by and has no direct effect upon the function of the shaftIS or parts carried thereby since that However, according to a modifiedformof cable shaft merely forms a sup-porting bearing kfor the sand rollitself.

In the form of invention Ishown in Fig. 2, continued downward movementofthe shaft 26 and bearing blocks I28 and 29 tends to rotate the clutchmember 58 and to increase tension in spring 66 which is held at one endby the attached bushing M and the gear and worm assembly, but it isvobvious that that increase in tension will only continue until theclutch surfaces start to slip. In actual practice there is a more orless continuous and gradual slipping between the clutch surfaces and thespring 66 isactually maintained under more or less even tension.

Theabove mentioned operation of the parts continues until a fabric rollof prescribed diameter has been Wound. Upon completion of the roll, itis only necessary to employ the crank again and to rotate the bushing 44first releasing part of the tension in the spring 66 and thereafterWinding the roll downwardly as much as is necessary to lower` the fabricroll upon a conveying or other receiving means to permit ready removalof the shaft 26 from the bearings in the blocks 28 and 29, and thenfurther relieve the remaining tension in the spring 66. That requires aminimum of effort and much less time than is required Wherefno clutch isemployed. In the latter case, not only must the cloth roll |be lowered,but it is also quite essential that all of the tension be removed fromthe relatively long, highly tensioned spring since it Will other- Wisebe impractical to remove the cloth roll shaft 26; when the weight istaken olf the bearing blocks 28 and `29, they will immediately rise ifany tension still remains in the spring.A The position of the crank atthel level of the breast beam, however, makes it much easier to performthese functions whenever a new roll is to be started or Whenever acompleted cloth vroll is to be removed. It will be noted that after alltension has been relieved in the spring 66, further rotation of thecrank will allow the blocks to lbe lowered by gravity, therebyautomatically releasing the cloth roll shaft from the loom.

The operation is varied somewhat where the clutch is not set tor slipuntil the fabric roll has been partially wound. There the initialsetting .of the spring which may be appreciably longer than that shownin Fig. 2, is so adjusted that only a minimum of contact pressure isprovided. Then the clutch is assumed to have been adjusted to slip at apoint where the lcloth roll has been partially wound, and from thatpoint on the spring tension remains nearly constant andv the increase inroll size is compensated through yslippage of the clutch.

While it is preferred that the clutch and spring mechanism be enclosedwithin the sand roll I1, it is possible to employ an independent shaftfor the sand roll and to separate therefrom thespring shaft mechanismincluding the spring, clutch, sheaves and cables and to mount them allon a separate shaft controlled in a similar manner by a crank adapted torotate a Worm and gear mechanism on that separate shaft. That involvesadditional mechanism, but may in some instances be employed to convertolder machines to the use of the present spring shaft and cloth rollshaft supporting and operating means if so desired.

Throughout the specification and rclaims the terms cloth roll andfa'bric roll have been employed to designate the woven material 'Woundupon the cloth roll shaft which is intended to comprise the core uponwhich fabric isV wound, one example of which is apparent at 26. The"sand roll is well known in the art and is sometimes referred to as afabric take-up roll. The terms supporting shaft and spring shaft applyto that shaft I6 or an equivalent thereof which, in the preferred formof the invention, serves the dual function of rotatably mounting thesand roll and also for supporting the cloth roll shaft and the mechanismincidental to biasing that shaft upwardly to establish pressure contactbetween the fabric and the sand roll. As stated these functions may incases be separated between two shafts.

While a particular type of clutch and specific arrangement thereof hasbeen disclosed in detail the general arrangement may be varied and, toan extent, reversal of the xed and relatively movable elements iscontemplated.

While one embodiment and certain modifications of the invention havebeen disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may becarried out in a number of ways. The invention is, therefore, not to belimited to the precise details described, but it is intended to embraceall variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit ofthe invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

l. In a loom the combination of a hollow sand roll and a cloth rollshaft upon which the woven fabric is wound as it is advanced by the sandroll, a common shaft for rotatably supporting the hollow sand roll andfrom which the said cloth roll shaft is suspended, and a resilientlyapplied biasing means enclosed within said sand roll for the said commonshaft for urging it in a direction to draw the suspended cloth rollshaft and fabric thereon toward the sand roll.

2. In a loom the combination of a sand roll and a cloth roll shaft uponwhich the woven fabric is wound as it is advanced by the sand roll, apivot shaft on which said sand roll is positively rotated, bearingblocks for said cloth roll shaft and guide means upon which said blocksmove to and from the sand roll, flexible connecting means attached toeach block and means fixed for rotation with said shaft and about whichthe said flexible connecting means are passed to be extended orretracted as the shaft is rotated, and resilient biasing means connectedto said shaft for imparting a biasing torque to it for drawing theexible connecting means and the cloth roll shaft toward the sand roll topress fabric wound on the cloth roll shaft tightly against that roll.

3. In a loom the combination of a sand roll and a cloth roll shaft uponwhich the woven fabric is wound as it is advanced by the sand roll, apivot shaft on which said sand roll is positively rotated, bearingblocks for said cloth roll shaft and guide means upon which said blocksare mounted for sliding movement to and from the sand roll, a flexiblecable attached to each block and a sheave fixed to the said shaft forrotation therewith and in alignment with each bearing block, to whichthe flexible cable extending from the bearing block is attached andabout which it is wound, and a resilient biasing means connected to saidshaft for imparting to it and the sheaves a biasing torque for drawingthe cloth roll and cables toward the sand roll to press fabric wound onthe cloth roll shaft tightly against that roll.

4. In a loom the combination of a sand roll and a cloth roll shaft uponwhich the woven fabric is wound as it is advanced by the sand roll, apivot shaft on which said sand roll is positively rotated, a suspensionmeans carried by said shaft and connected to said cloth roll shaft, aresilient biasing means enclosed within said sand roll and attached atone end to said shaft and means for restraining the opposite end of saidresilient bias ing means comprising a rotatable member projectingexternally of the sand roll and means for adjusting the relativeposition of said restraining means and for maintaining it in an adjustedposition thereby to vary the tension in the resilient means, saidresilient means being effective when tensioned for imparting a biasingtorque to the shaft for drawing the cloth roll toward the sand roll topress fabric wound on the cloth roll shaft tightly against that roll.

5. In a loom the combination of a sand roll and a cloth roll shaft uponwhich the woven fabric is wound as it is advanced by the sand roll, apivot shaft on which said sand roll is positively rotated, suspensionmeans carried by said shaft and connected to said cloth roll shaft and aresilient biasing means connected to said pivot shaft for imparting toit a biasing torque for drawing the cloth roll shaft and the suspensionmeans toward the sand roll to press the fabric wound on the cloth rollshaft tightly against that roll, said resilient biasing means comprisinga clutch member one element of which is fixed for rotation with the saidshaft, said other clutch element being freely rotatable upon the shaft,a spring having one end attached to said other clutch element, gearmeans on said shaft, the other end of said spring being connected tosaid gear means, and means for rotating said gear to vary the tension insaid spring, to rotate said shaft and the suspension means carried bythe shaft to position the cloth roll differently in relation to the sandroll, said means further being effective for locking the said gear in anadjusted position.

6. In a loom the combination of a sand Iroll and a cloth roll shaft uponwhich the woven fabric is wound as it is advanced by the sand roll, apivot shaft on which said sand roll is positively rotated, a suspensionmeans carried by said shaft and connected to said cloth roll shaftcomprising a sheave fixed adjacent each end of the shaft, bearing blocksin one of which each end of the cloth roll shaft is rotatively supportedand a exible cable attached to each bearing block and to its sheave forbeing wound on the latter as the shaft is rotated, and resilient biasingmeans connected to said shaft for imparting to it a biasing torque fordrawing the cloth roll and the suspension means toward the sand roll topress fabric wound on the cloth roll shaft tightly against that roll,said resilient biasing means comprising a clutch carried by said shaftand enclosed Within said sand roll, one element of said clutch beingkeyed to said shaft for rotation therewith, the other element of saidclutch having attached thereto one end of a spring, the other end ofsaid spring being fixed within a gear rotated and restrained member onsaid shaft and extending externally of the sand roll, and means meshingwith the gear for maintaining the member in an adjusted position and forrotating the shaft through the clutch thereby to permit the cloth rollto be moved away from the sand roll which means includes a worm, aspindle to which said worm is fixed and a crank attachable to saidspindle to permit manual operation thereof.

7. In a loom the combination of a sand roll and a cloth roll shaft uponwhich the woven roll shaft and guide means uponwhich said blocks aremounted for sliding movement to and froml 1l. In a loom the combinationof a'clotlf roll shaft, a stand inl which said cloth roll shaft'ismovable and by which it is guided comprising the sand roll, a flexiblecable attached to each@- block and a sheave `fixed to the said shaft forrotation therewith and in'alignment with each 1 bearing block, to whichthe flexible cable extending from the bearing block is attached andabout whichv it is wound, said sheave having a helicalv groove thereinwithin which the cable is guided,

the effective radius of said groove from the center of the sheave being'decreased from one end thereof to the other thereby to decrease themoment' arm at which the cables act as the weight of fabric wound on thecloth roll shaft increases,v and a resilient biasing means connected tosaid shaft for imparting to it and the sheavesa biasing torque fordrawing the cloth roll towardthe' sand roll to press fabric wound-on thecloth roll shaft tightly against the sand roll.

8, In a loomY the combination of a cloth roll shaft, a vstand in whichsaid cloth roll shaft is movable and by which itY is guided, asupporting.

fixed at one end to the supporting shaft, a rela-1 tively rotatablemember carried by the supporting shaft by which the other end of ksaidspring is restrained and manually operated means for positioning saidmember and for locking it in an-y adjusted position. 9. In a loom thecombination of a cloth roll shaft, a stand in which said cloth rollshaft is movable and by which it is guided comprising aD guide railadjacent each end of the roll and a.

bearing block slidable on each rail, a supporting,v`

shaft having a sheave fixed adjacent each end and in substantialalignment with the bearing blocks, fiexible connectors passed about thef sheaves and attached to said blocks, and means by which saidsupporting shaft is biased in a direction to elevate the cloth rollshaft, includv ing a spring fixed at one end to the supporting shaft, arelatively rotatable member carried by f the shaft by which the otherend of said spring is restrained and manually operated means forpositioning said member and for locking it in an adjusted position.

l0. In a loom the combination of. a cloth roll shaft, a stand in whichsaid cloth roll shaft is movable and by which it is guided comprisingaf." guide rail adjacent each end of the roll and a bearing blockslidable on each rail, a supporting shaft having a sheave fixed adjacenteach kend and in substantial alignment with its respective bearingblock, a flexible cable passed about each j sheave and attached theretoat one end and connected at the other end to the aligning block,

and means by which said supporting shaft is biased in a direction toelevate the cloth roll through the said cables, said means including aconcentrically disposed about said shaft and havcollar fixed to saidsupporting shaft, a spring65 ing one end. restrained in said collar, aworm gear ,1 rotatable on the shaft by means of which the other end ofsaid spring is restrained, a Worm meshing with said Worm gear, aprojecting' shaft fixed to said worm and crank means for manuallyrotating the worm for tensioning said spring j and for releasing tensionthereon substantially as is described.

` a guide railr adjacent each endof'the roll and a bearing blockslidable on each rail, a supporting shaft having a sheave rfixedvadjacent each end and in substantial alignment-with the bearing pblocks, a vflexible cable passed about' eachsheave and attached theretoat one end and connected at the other end to its respectivejblock, andmeans by which said supporting 'shaft is biased in a direction toelevate the cloth roll shaft, said means comprising a clutch carriedbythe shaft,

one element of saidV clutch being xed for rotation with the shaft andthe'other clutch `element being freely rotatable on the shaft, a springhaving one end attached to said other clutch element, a rotatable membercarried by the shaft within which the other end of said spring isretained anda manually voperated means for positioning said member andfor retaining it in an adjusted position. f l y f f l2. In a Springshaft mechanism functioning upon a cloth roll shaft to pressfabric Woundthereon into contact with a sand roll, a means for resiliently applyinga biasing torque ytov said spring shaft comprising engaging clutchmembers one of which lis fixed for rotation withl said spring shaft andthe other of which is vfreely rotatable upon said shaft, a gear freelyrotatable on the shaft, an extension from said gear, a springsurrounding the shaft between the freely rotatable clutch member and theextension from said gear and having one end restrained in the clutchmember and the other end in the extension, and a manually operated meansfor changing the relative position of the gear and locking it in anadjusted position. l

13. In a spring shaft mechanism functioning upon a cloth roll shaft topress fabric Wound thereon into contact with a sand roll, a means forresiliently applying a biasing torque to said spring shaft comprisingengaging clutch members one of which is fixed for rotation with butslidable along said spring shaft and the other of which is freelyrotatable upon that shaft, means for preventing axial movement of thesaid freely rotatable clutch member and a spring means for pressing thefirst mentioned clutch member into engagement with the second, a gearfreely rotatable on the shaft and a spring surrounding the shaft betweenthe second clutch member and the gear and having one end restrained inthe said second clutch member and the other end by the gear, and amanually operated means for changing the relative position of the gearand locking it in an adjusted position.

14. In a spring shaft mechanism functioning upon a cloth roll shaft topress fabric Wound thereon into contact with a sand roll, a means forresiliently applying a biasing torque to said shaft comprising clutchmembers having conically formed, engaging, frictional surfaces, one saidclutch member being restrained from rotation relatively to the shaft butprovided for axial movement thereon, the other said clutch member beingfreely rotatable upon said shaft, means for restraining the said otherclutch member from axial movement along the shaft, spring means forpressing that clutch member which is axially movable along the shafttoward the second mentioned member thereby to engage the frictionalsurfaces, a worm gear freely rotatable on the shaft and a springsurrounding the shaft between the said second mentioned clutch memberand the worm gear and having one end restrained 1n the clutch member andthe other end in the gear, a worm engageable with said gear and manuallyoperated crank means for rotating said worm to change the relativeposition of the gear and to lock it in an adjusted position.

15. In a loom the combination of a hollow sand roll and a cloth rollshaft upon which woven fabric is wound as it is advanced by the -sandroll, a common shaft for rotatably supporting the hollow sand roll andfrom which the said cloth roll shaft is-suspended, a resiliently appliedbiasing means enclosed within the hollow sand roll and attached to thecommon shaft for applying torque to the shaft in a direction to draw thesuspended cloth roll shaft and fabric thereon toward the sand roll, anda means carried by the common shaft to which the biasing means is alsoattached for restraining an end of the biasing means and for manuallyadjusting the effect of that means.

16. In a loom the combination of a sand roll and a cloth roll shaft uponwhich Woven fabric is wound as it is advanced by the sand roll, a pivotshaft on which said sand roll is positively rotated, bearing means inwhich said pivot shaft is independently rotatable, suspension meanscarried by said shaft and connected to said cloth roll, said suspensionmeans being taken up or payedout as said pivot shaft is rotated,resilient biasing means connected to said shaft for imparting to it abiasing torque for drawing the suspension means and the cloth rollvshaft toward the sand ro1l,- and a means to which the biasing means isalso attached for restraining an end thereof and manually operable meansfor varying said means to which the end is attached thereby to adjustthe tension in the biasing means and thus its eiect on the pivot shaftand cloth roll shaft.

v FRITZ B. PETERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

